Advertising device



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- C. L. KEE

ADVERTISING DEVICE sheets-sheet 2 v @mundo/v Jl. Kw

Filed NOV. 19. 1924 Patented Oct. ll, 1927.

Unirse srares CHARLES L. REE, OF PORTSMOUTH, VIRGNIA.

ADVERTISING DEVCE.

Application filed November 19, 1924. Serial No. 750,819.

rl`he present invention relates to an advertising device of the typeembodying a sign having representations constituting a setting and amovable element organized and coacting with the setting in such manneras to actually depict successive stages in the use of a commodity, suchas the dispensing and consumption thereof, or so as otherwise to drawattention to and create an interest in t-he subject of theadvertisement.

Une of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide anadvertising device of this character wherein the setting with themovable element in one position is presented to view for a predeterminedinterval of time before the movable element is permitted to move torepresent or depict the action which constitutes the central attractivefea-ture of the advertising` device. By retarding the action of themovable element, that is, by preventing` its movement for apredetermined period after the setting and movable element in oneposition have been presented to view, observers have an opportunity tograsp the importand signiicance of the first stage of the actionrepresented before the movable element begins to progress through thevarious stages of the action. The action being easy to follow andattractive in subject-matter the attention of even the desultory isattracted and held so that the subject-matter of the advertisement isbrought forcibly before the observers of the advertising device andinterest in the subject of the advertisement is produced in the minds ofthe observers.

Another object is the provision of an advertising device of thischaracter employing a sign having a plurality of faces adapted to besuccessively presented to View, the sign having on each of its faces asetting and having a movable element cooperable with each setting, theseveral faces 0f the sign serving to vividly depict several relatedact-ions in proper sequence.

Other objects and advantages reside in certain novel features of theconstruction, arrangement and combination of parts which will behereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in theappended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawingsforming a part of this specification and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation showing a sign or advertisingdevice constructed in accordance with the present invention,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view in elevation showing the rear of the signillustra-ted in Figure l,

Figure 3 is a view in transverse section on line 3-3 of Figure l,

VFigure l is a view partly in elevation and partly in central verticalsection illustrating the mechanism employed for controlling themovements of the movable element, and

Figure 5 is similar View showing a different position of the parts.

leferring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a suitable vbasecarrying pedestals 2 in which trunnions 3 of a sign frame l arerotatably mounted. The base 1 contains the motor for rotating the Asignframe and this base and one of the hollow pedestals provide a housingfor the motion transmission mechanism employed between the motor andsign.Y mechanism is of the type designed to ntermittently move the signframe through a predetermined angular interval. In lthe present instancean electric motor is used and the gearingV employed rotates the signframe through 180, permits the same to remain stationary for apredetermined interval, then moves the sign frame through another 180oand again permits the same to remain stationary for a predetermined timeand so on. The special details of this gearing forms no part of thisinvention.

A sign proper designated generally at 5 is fitted snugly within the mainor rotating sign frame 4L and is held in position by elongated plates 6which are attached by screws or other suitable fastening means to thesign frame 4 and which overlap the sign 5 to hold the same in position.

rllhe sign proper consists of a rectangular frame 8 to which walls 9 and10 are atlixed. Between the spaced walls 9 and 10 a com-I partment 1l isformed. The exposed' faces of the walls 9 and 10 bear representationswhich constitute the setting and major portion of the illustration ofthe sign. In the present instance this illustration consists of a voterabout to drop a'ballot into a ballotV box. lt is to be understood,however, that the subject-matter of the illustration may vary and thatthe illustration shown is merely for the purpose of disclosing oneembodi-V v ment of the invention. f

Each of the walls is provided With an opening 13 immediately above theballot box depicted on the surface of they walls.,

The motion transmission A solid frame 14 is positioned in the chamber orcompartment vl1 and is secured as at 15 to the trame 8. On the oppositesides of the frame 14 guides 16 are secured and receive tongues 17formed on a movable sign elementl8which is shii'table in the guidesunder the action of gravity. ln the present instance the movableelements represent a ballotA or the ballot of the group which thefigures represent or symbolize. rhe guides are so positioned that thesign element 18 is designed to' move down across the opening 13 and thusappear to be dropped from the hand of the ligure or voter into theballot boX. The portions of the frame back of the openings 13 arecolored the same as the background of the exposed faces or` the walls 9and 10 so that the openings are camouilaged. Elastic bumpers 2O areVprovided at the ends of the guides to limit the movements oi!` the signelements 18. Since the movable sign elements are freely shiiftableintheir movable guides under the action ol gravity as each ltace of the ispresented to view, the ballot represented by its movable element willappear to drop into the ballot box and as each sign iiace is turned soas to be hidden from view its movable .element will be repositioned soas to be ready to drop into the ballot boi; the next time the sign taceis presented to view. 'lhe present invention proposes to hold the movfable sign elements 18 against shitting movement for a predeterminedperiod alter the signface with which they coact is presented to `'viewso that the observers will have an opportunity to see the movable signelements asf constituting ballots in the hand of the voter and aboutto'be dropped into the ballot boxand after having opportunity to observethis phase of the action, the movable sign element .is released and theballot appar- Y ently drops linto the` ballot box.

In carrying out these purposes, means is provided tor holding eachmovable element 18 in position to be elevated when its sign face ispresented to view and this means is shown as `comprising a latch 21having a finger 22 adapted to be engaged with its movable sign 'elemept18. The end of the finger 22 which engages the sign element 18 isbevelled as at 28 to permit the sign 18 to reposition itself. The latch22 is pivoted as at 24 on a bracket 25 and has an operating arm 26rigidly connected thereto and provided with a vertically offset end 27which projects up into a casing 28 carried by the f bracket 25 and by asecond bracket 29, both of the brackets 25 and 29 being carried by thetrame 14;. `The vertically odset end 27 of the operating arm 26 of thelatch 22 extends up into a guide socket 30 defined by two members 31carried or fixed in the lower end of the casing 28. Thercasing 28 iso-tubular form and has its ends closed.

One wall of the casing is removable. TWithin the casing 28 series 'oicoppositely arranged gnide members 82 are provided. rlhe guide members82extend along each side or the casing and project toward each other andthe guide members on one s are arranged in between'the guide members onthe other side, or in other words the guide members are staggered. @neside of each guide member is slightly inclined `as indicated at but theother side oi each .guide member is sharply inclined from its Vpoints asindicated Vat and then gradually inclined towardits large end asindicated at 35. rllhis arrangement ci the guide members provides atortnons passage for a steel ball ll0 which under the action of gravityrolls from one end ot the casing 28 to the other whenever the positionoi the sign is changed. The arrangement is such that when either signtace presented toA view the ball organized with the mechanism associatedwith the front, face rolls from the end at which the bracket 29 islocated down the inclined tace to release the latch 22 is relativelyslow andV requires an interval 'or time suilicient to permit observersof the sign to fully grasp the import and s'ignii'i'cance of that phaseof `the action illustrated when .the movable sign element 18 is heldelevated. As the face which has been presented to the front moves to theback the ball organized. with the mechanism associated with such tacerolls from the end at which the bracket 25 and socket 30 arelocated downto the end Vat which the bracket 29 is located and the ball movesrapidly at such time since it travels over the sharply inclined portions34 of the guides. llhis quick return of the balls insures a full andcomplete retarding action. Light retractile coil springs l5areassociated with the latches 22 and tend to ,project the fingers 28into engagement with the movable sign elements.

l claimi l. ln an advertising device, a sign having a wall adapted tobeperiodically presented to view, said'wall having an opening, an elementbiased to shift across the opening when the wall lis presented to view,and means for preventing shifting movement of the element for apredetermined interval after the wall has been presented to view.

2. In an advertising device, a sign having awall adapted to beperiodically .presented to view, said wall having an opening, an

element shiftable across said opening under the action oi' gravity Whenthe Wall is presented to view, means coacting With the-element forholding the same against movement, and a. release -for said meansoperable at a predetermined interval after the Wall has been presentedto view.

3. En an advertising device, a sign having a plurality oi' Walls adaptedto be successively presented to View, each Wall having an opening, amovable sign element shiftable across said opening, means coacting Withsaid element for holding the same against movement and a release foreach means operable at a predetermined interval after the Wall withwhich it is associated is presented to view.

fl. In an advertising device, a sign having a plurality oi' Wallsadapted to be successively presented to View, each Wall having anopening, guides associated With each opening, a movable sign element foreach opening, e'ach sign element being mounted for free shiftingmovement in the guides yassociated with its opening, a latch cooperableWith each sign element, a release for each latch including' a casing anda. ball sliiftable in the casing under the action of gravity,

each casing having a plurality of guides therein defining a tortuouspassage to retard the movement of the ball.

5. An advertising device of the character specified in claim 4 of thecasing which deiine the tortuous passage for the ball have slightlyinclined sides to constrain the ball to slovv movement when thesame ismoving to release the latch and sharply inclined portions to. permit aquick return of the ball.

6. In an advertising device, a sign, means for mounting the sign forturning movement about a horizontal axis, said sign including a frameand spaced WallsV secured to the frame and deiining a compartment, eachWall having representations thereon and having an opening, a framearranged Within the compartment and connected With the frame of thesign, guides onsaid frame for the openings of each Wall, a movable signelement in each set of guides, each movable sign element being shiftableunder the action of gravity across the openingv ofthe Wall With whichlit is associated, a latch for holding each movable sign element againstmovement and means for releasing the latch. n

CHARLES L. KEE.

and wherein the guidesy

